Sirtfood Kale & Toasted Walnut Soup

This Sirtfood kale and toasted walnut soup is the perfect healthy but hearty warming winter meal!

Serves 1

Ingredients:

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
30g red onion, sliced
30g celery, sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
75g tinned or home-cooked white beans, such as cannellini or haricot
500ml vegetable stock
50g kale, roughly chopped
4 walnut halves, chopped

Method:
In a medium saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over a low–medium heat and fry the red onion, celery and garlic for 2–3 minutes. When they have softened, add the thyme, beans and stock and bring to the boil.

Simmer for 25 minutes over a low heat, then add the kale and cook for a further 10 minutes. When all the vegetables are cooked through, blend the mixture until smooth. You might have to add a little water if your soup is too thick. If it looks very watery before you blend it, simply increase the heat and leave it to bubble until it is thicker.

While the soup is cooking, heat your oven to 160ºC/gas 3 and toast your walnuts for 10–15 minutes so that they are nicely browned – watch them carefully as they can easily go from toasted to burnt.

Serve your soup drizzled with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and topped with the toasted walnuts.

Extract from The Sirtfood Diet by Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten, published by Yellow Kite, £9.99